Bill Nighy
| birth_place = Caterham, Surrey, England | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1976–present | nationality = British | spouse = | partner = Diana Quick (1980–2008) | children = Mary Nighy | signature = | website = }} William Francis Nighy ( ; born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womaniser Professor Mark Carleton. Nighy became widely known for his performance as Billy Mack in Love Actually. Other notable roles in cinema include his portrayal of Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean film series as well as Viktor in the ''Underworld'' film series. He is also known for his roles in the films Lawless Heart, I Capture the Castle, Shaun of the Dead, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Notes on a Scandal, Hot Fuzz, Valkyrie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Rango and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. His performances were also acclaimed in the State of Play series and in the TV films The Girl in the Café, Gideon's Daughter and Page Eight, for which he earned Golden Globe nominations, winning one for Gideon's Daughter. Early life and education Nighy was born on 12 December 1949 in Caterham, Surrey. His mother, Catherine Josephine Nighy (née Whittaker), was a psychiatric nurse of Irish descent born in Glasgow, and his English father, Alfred Martin Nighy, managed a car garage after working in the family chimney sweeping business.Bill Nighy: the thinking woman's bagel The Independent, 19 February 2006; Family Detective The Daily Telegraph; accessed 21 March 2018. Nighy was brought up as a Roman Catholic, and served as an altar boy. He has two older siblings, Martin and Anna. Nighy attended the John Fisher School, a Roman Catholic grammar school in Purley, where he was a member of the school theatre group. After leaving the school with two O-levels, he took a job as a messenger with The Croydon Advertiser. He entered the Guildford School of Acting to train for stage and film.Bill Nighy, Hello magazine, undated, accessed 23 November 2009. Career After two seasons at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, Nighy made his London stage debut at the National Theatre in an epic staging of Ken Campbell and Chris Langham's Illuminatus!, which opened the new Cottesloe Theatre on 4 March 1977. He was cast to appear in two David Hare premieres, also at the National. During the 1980s, he appeared in several television productions, among them Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil, alongside John Shea and Tony Randall. Nighy has starred in many radio and television dramas, notably the BBC serial The Men's Room (1991). He claimed that the serial, an Ann Oakley novel adapted by Laura Lamson, was the job which launched his career. More recently he has featured in the thriller State of Play (2003) and costume drama He Knew He Was Right (2004). He played Samwise Gamgee in the 1981 BBC Radio dramatisation of The Lord of the Rings (where he was credited as William Nighy), and appeared in the 1980s BBC Radio versions of Yes Minister episodes. He starred alongside Stephen Moore and Lesley Sharp in the acclaimed short radio drama Story'', written by James Woolf and first aired in 1996. He had a starring role in the 2002 return of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, portraying crooked politician Jeffrey Grainger. He has also made a guest appearance in the BBC Radio 4 series ''Baldi''. Two of Nighy's most acclaimed stage performances were in National Theatre productions. As Bernard Nightingale, an unscrupulous university don, in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia (1993), he engaged in witty exchanges with Felicity Kendal, who played the role of Hannah Jarvis, an author. He played a consultant psychiatrist in Joe Penhall's Blue/Orange (2000), for which he won an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor, and which transferred to the West End at the Duchess Theatre the following year. In 1997, Nighy starred as Tom Sergeant, a restaurant entrepreneur, in David Hare's Skylight, which had premiered in 1995 and was moved to the Vaudeville Theatre." 'Skylight' at Vaudeville" abouttheartists.com, accessed 30 March 2015Roslyn Sulcas, "Mulligan and Bill Nighy Prepare ‘Skylight’ for Broadway", New York Times, 26 February 2015; accessed 13 September 2018 Nighy received some recognition by American audiences for his acclaimed portrayal of overaged rock star Ray Simms in the 1998 film Still Crazy. In 1999 he gained further prominence in the UK with the starring role in "The Photographer", an episode of the award-winning BBC-TV mockumentary comedy series People Like Us, playing Will Rushmore, a middle aged man who has abandoned his career and family in the deluded belief that he can achieve success as a commercial photographer. In 2003, Nighy played the role of the Vampire Elder Viktor in the American production ''Underworld''. He returned in the same role in the sequel Underworld: Evolution in 2006, and again in the prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans in 2009. In February 2004, he was awarded the BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Billy Mack in Love Actually. At the BAFTA Television Awards in April 2004, he won the Best Actor award for State of Play. He also appeared in the comedy Shaun of the Dead. In early 2004, The Sunday Times reported that Nighy was on the shortlist for the role of the Ninth Doctor in the 2005 revival of the BBC television series Doctor Who. Christopher Eccleston ultimately filled the role. In 2005, he appeared as Slartibartfast in the film adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He also appeared in the one-off BBC One comedy-drama The Girl in the Café. In February 2006, he appeared in scriptwriter Stephen Poliakoff's one-off drama, Gideon's Daughter. Nighy played the lead character, Gideon, a successful events organiser who begins to lose touch with the world around him. This performance won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Mini-series or TV Film in January 2007. Also in 2006, Nighy made his Broadway debut at the Music Box Theatre alongside Julianne Moore in The Vertical Hour, directed by Sam Mendes. In 2006, Nighy played the principal villain, Davy Jones, in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, although his face was entirely obscured by computer-generated makeup; he voiced the character with a Scots accent. He reprised the role in the 2007 sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, in which his real face was briefly revealed in one scene. He also provided the narration for the Animal Planet series Meerkat Manor. In 2006 he played the role of Richard Hart in Notes on a Scandal, for which he was nominated for a London Film Critics' Circle award. Nighy also appeared as General Friedrich Olbricht, one of the principal conspirators, in the 2008 film Valkyrie. He had played an SS officer in the 1985 Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil. Nighy starred in the film Wild Target in 2010. In July 2009, he announced that he would play Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. Nighy had already worked with director David Yates twice, and with the majority of the Harry Potter cast in previous films. He has said of his role as Rufus Scrimgeour that it meant he was no longer the only English actor not to be in Harry Potter. Nighy voiced Grandsanta in the 2011 CGI animated film Arthur Christmas. In 2012, he starred in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Wrath of the Titans, and the remake of Total Recall. In 2013, he played a role in Darkside, Tom Stoppard's radio drama based on Pink Floyd's album The Dark Side of the Moon. In 2014 he starred with Carey Mulligan in a revival of David Hare's Skylight at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End.Ben Brantley, "Volatile Chemistry in an Underheated Flat", New York Times, 04 July 2014; accessed 13 September 2018 It had a large international audience via broadcast in the National Theatre Live series." 'Skylight' review – Hare revival is a Thatcherite play for today", The Observer, 22 June 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014. He and Mulligan also starred in the play when it was transferred to Broadway in 2015.Ben Brantley, "Review: ‘Skylight,’ With Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy, Opens on Broadway", 02 April 2015; accessed 13 September 2018 Personal life Nighy had a 27-year-relationship with English actress Diana Quick, with whom he has a daughter, actress Mary Nighy. The couple separated amicably in 2008.Roberts, Laura. "It's not Love Actually after all as star Nighy splits with partner of 27 years", Daily Mail, 25 August 2008. He has Dupuytren's contracture, a hereditary condition which can, depending on the condition's severity, cause contractures of the fingers, most commonly the ring and little fingers.http://dupstudy.com, Nighy is a supporter of Crystal Palace and is the Patron of the CPSCC (Crystal Palace Children's Charity),Crystal Palace Supporters Children's Charity accessed 2 June 2007 and of the Ann Craft Trust. He is also one of the Honorary Patrons of the London children's charity Scene & Heard. Nighy is also a patron of the Milton Rooms, a new arts centre in Malton, North Yorkshire, along with Imelda Staunton, Jools Holland and Kathy Burke. Known for his support of total gender equality, Nighy noted in an interview during the 2016 DIFF film festival that the highlighting of the gender inequality problem had been a factor in his choice of films."In England at Christmas It's Me and the Queen", City Times (12 December 2016), accessed 25 March 2017.. He has also spoken of his role in Pride, a film extolling the mutual support between the National Union of Miners and gay rights' groups in the UK in the 1980s, as one of most cherished."Bill Nighy has Never Been Prouder of his Career Choices than 'Pride'", Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Australia online, interview (27 February 2019), accessed 3 March 2019.. Nighy is noted for his bespoke navy suits. He was listed as one of the 50 best-dressed over 50s by The Guardian in March 2013 and one of GQ 50 best-dressed British men in 2015. Filmography Film Television Video games Awards and nominations Selected performances Theatre * Plaza Suite by Neil Simon – Watermill Theatre, Newbury * The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore by Tennessee Williams – Watermill Theatre, Newbury * Landscape and Silence, by Harold Pinter – Gateway Theatre, Chester * Entertaining Mr Sloane by Joe Orton – Gateway Theatre, Chester * Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, by Tom Stoppard – Arts Theatre, Cambridge * The Immoralist, from the novel by André Gide – Hampstead Theatre * Speak Now, by Olwen Wymark – Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh (1971) * Freedom of the City, by Brian Friel – Everyman Theatre, Liverpool * Under New Management, by Chris Bond – Everyman Theatre, Liverpool * Occupy! – Liverpool Everyman Theatre (1976) * Illuminatus!, Ken Campbell/Chris Langham – NT Cottesloe (The theatre's first production, 1977)National Theatre archive cast and production listing. * Comings and Goings, by Mike Stott – Hampstead Theatre Club (1978) * The Warp, by Neil Oram/ Ken Campbell – ICA (1979) * Illuminations, by Arthur Rimbaud – Lyric Hammersmith (1980) * A Map of the World, by David Hare – NT Lyttelton (1983) * Pravda, by David Hare/ Howard Brenton – NT Olivier (1985) * King Lear, by William Shakespeare – NT Olivier (1986) * Mean Tears, by Peter Gill – NT Cottesloe (1987) * Betrayal, by Harold Pinter – Almeida Theatre, London (1991) * Arcadia, by Tom Stoppard – NT Lyttelton (1993) * The Seagull, by Anton Chekhov/ad. Pam Gems – NT Olivier (1994) * Skylight, by David Hare – NT production at Vaudeville Theatre, London (1995)/ UK tour (1997) * A Kind of Alaska, by Harold Pinter – Donmar Warehouse (1998) * Blue/Orange, by Joe Penhall – NT Cottesloe (2000), Duchess Theatre (2001) * The Vertical Hour, by David Hare, Broadway production at the Music Box Theater, NY (2006)' * Skylight, by David Hare – West End production at Wyndham's Theatre (2014) * Skylight, by David Hare – Broadway production at John Golden Theatre (2015) Radio } – | '' | | | | BBC Radio 4 --> |- | – | ''The Lord of the Rings | Sam Gamgee | J.R.R. Tolkien dramatised by Brian Sibley and Michael Bakewell | Jane Morgan and Penny Leicester | BBC Radio 4 |- | – | Yes, Minister | Frank Weisel | Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn adapted for radio by Pete Atkin | Pete Atkin | BBC Radio 4 |- | | Arcadia | Bernard Nightingale | Tom Stoppard | David Benedictus | BBC Radio 3 |- | | Ancient Enemies | | Elizabeth North | | BBC Radio 4 |- | | So Much Blood | Charles Paris | Simon Brett dramatised by Bert Coules | Gaynor Macfarlane | BBC Radio 4 Saturday Play |- | | Blue/Orange | | Joe Penhall | | BBC Radio 4 |- | | Baldi: The Book Case | O'Connor | Simon Brett | Mark Lambert | BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play |- | | Turtle Diary | William | Russell Hoban | Gaynor Macfarlane | BBC Radio 4 Saturday Play |- | | A Series of Murders | Charles Paris | Simon Brett dramatised by Jeremy Front | | BBC Radio 4 Saturday Play |- | | All Fingers and Thumbs | Tom | Alan Stafford | Dirk Maggs | BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play |- | – | A Charles Paris Mystery: Sicken and So Die | Charles Paris | Simon Brett dramatised by Jeremy Front | Sally Avens | BBC Radio 4 |- | – | A Charles Paris Mystery: Murder Unprompted | Charles Paris | Simon Brett dramatised by Jeremy Front | Sally Avens | BBC Radio 4 |- | | I Wish to Apologise for My Part in the Apocalypse | Keith | Duncan Macmillan | Sam Hoyle | BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play |- | – | A Charles Paris Mystery: Dead Side of the Mic | Charles Paris | Simon Brett dramatised by Jeremy Front | Sally Avens | BBC Radio 4 |- | | Educating Rita | Frank | Willy Russell | Kirsty Williams | BBC Radio 4 Saturday Play |- | | Private Lives | Elyot | Noël Coward | Sally Avens | BBC Radio 4 Saturday Play |- | – | A Charles Paris Mystery: Cast in Order of Disappearance | Charles Paris | Simon Brett dramatised by Jeremy Front | Sally Avens | BBC Radio 4 |- | – | A Charles Paris Mystery: Murder in the Title | Charles Paris | Simon Brett dramatised by Jeremy Front | Sally Avens | BBC Radio 4 |- | | The Bat Man | Christopher | Amelia Bullmore | Mary Peate | BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play |- | | Darkside |The Witch Finder / Doctor Antrobus | Tom Stoppard | | BBC Radio 2 |- | – | A Charles Paris Mystery: A Decent Interval | Charles Paris | Simon Brett dramatised by Jeremy Front | Sally Avens | BBC Radio 4 |- | – | A Charles Paris Mystery: Star Trap | Charles Paris | Simon Brett dramatised by Jeremy Front | Mary Peate | BBC Radio 4 |} References External links * * Bill Nighy: A Life in Pictures Interview at BAFTA * * Silk Sound Books }} Category:1949 births Category:20th-century English male actors Category:21st-century English male actors Category:Alumni of the Guildford School of Acting Category:Annie Award winners Category:Audiobook narrators Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actor Golden Globe winners Category:Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award winners Category:English male film actors Category:English people of Irish descent Category:English people of Scottish descent Category:English male radio actors Category:English male stage actors Category:English male television actors Category:English male voice actors Category:Living people Category:People from Caterham Category:English male Shakespearean actors Category:Male actors from Surrey